Chapter 9 - Exploring biodiversity conservation through the reinventing of religion

Abstract

Building more sustainable societies, requires the exploration of the values and criteria underlying long term sustainability that contributes to conserving the Earth's biodiversity. Such an effort requires us to re-examine a wide range of viewpoints representing many of the world's cultural and religious traditions with a view to establish a common foundation for making ethical decisions about our environment. In the wake of environmental crisis and with humanity facing an unprecedented challenge to its continued existence—a challenge it has created itself—a new form of religiously motivated-social action, that is, religious environmentalism which is based on the recognition of the connection between religion and humanity's treatment of the environment. This chapter attempts to identify some the common values and practices underlying some of the major religions around the world with a view to reinventing their role in biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.